Self-optimizing networks (SON), also referred to as self-organizing networks, are networks in which user equipments (UEs) and evolved node B (eNB) measurements are used to automatically tune various parameters in the network.
In the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), carrier aggregation was introduced in Release 10. With carrier aggregation, multiple component carriers may be allocated for both downlink and/or uplink transmissions. The use of home evolved node B (HeNB) cells, also known as femto cells, and pico cells within the same component carriers as the macro cell may introduce interference management problems.
As network operators continue to deploy small cells to serve more UEs and increase capacity, network planning becomes increasingly difficult. Manually configuring network nodes to the available component carriers in order to minimize interference may not be practical in certain situations due to the dynamically changing traffic demands. Further, having a fixed allocation of resources is inefficient since some nodes may be idle at given times while others may be heavily loaded. These interference management problems may be addressed through the SON functionality.
Further, in order to free up resources and to save power by not transmitting downlink broadcast channels when no UEs are available to be served, a dynamic approach of reconfiguring resources may be needed.